Tuesday, December 18, 2007

At least they didn't taser him

That would have really been bad!

Minneapolis, MN (AHN) - SWAT team members kicked down the door of the wrong home, and were reportedly shot at by the surprised homeowner. The man was apparently frightened by the unexpected arrival of the officers, and grabbed the gun for defense.

The SWAT's arrival at the wrong house was apparently due to bad information given to police, who were carrying out a search warrant. Two officers were hit by the shots, but their bullet-proof gear saved them from injury.

A statement made by Sgt. Jesse Garcia said, "It was some bad information that was received on the front end and it's unfortunate because we have officers that were hit by gunfire and this truly, truly could have been a much worse situation."

The man, Vang Khang, was trying to defend himself, his wife, and his six children as he shot the officers, reported the AP.

"He thought they were gang members and he was scared," explained Dao Khang, Vang's brother. He added that his brother initially fired a warning shot, and then followed it up with two more from his closed bedroom, with the bullets going through the door.

Some officers returned fire, the report followed, but the entire incident was concluded with no injuries.

[snip]

The incident was worsened by an apparent language barrier, as Vang, a Hmong, did not speak English, according to Sang Vang, the executive director of the Hmong American Mutual Assistance Association

Vang was taken into custody, but was released. Police have yet to decide whether or not to charge him with firing on the officers. On the other hand, the officers were placed on administrative leave while the incident was put under investigation.

I don't think the use of the word 'surprised' to describe the homeowner really gets to the essence of what the man was feeling....